Behind a first-half goal from center back Gonzalo Rodriguez, Fiorentina earned a 1-0 victory over Premier League champions Chelsea on Wednesday in the International Champions Cup at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea had dominated for long stretches of the first half, but Fiorentina showed some signs of life after the half-hour mark. In the 34th minute Rodríguez pounced on Asmir Begovic's blocked shot from Marcos Alonso. The shot was well struck by Alonso, forcing Begovic to simply keep the ball in front of him, but Rodriguez was there to take care of the rebound.

Fiorentina had previously given the Blues a scare in the second minute of the match. In a quick attack, Matías Fernández delivered a sharp right-footed shot that Begovic brilliantly denied. Begovic played the whole match ahead of No. 1 Thibault Courtois.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho chose to go with some seldom-used players to start the match. Bertrand Traore, Ola Aina and Ruben Loftus-Cheek started the game, with Loftus-Cheek playing 58 minutes. The move was clearly motivated by Chelsea's upcoming Premier League season opener against Swansea City. It showed in the Blues' play, as the attack never seemed to quite find their rhythm against a solid Fiorentina side.

There were also 32 fouls in the match, a considerably high number for what was essentially a friendly.